Weekly Crypto Digest July 7 – 13

Blockchain betting platform Augur is finally released, Opera web browser integrates a cryptocurrency wallet in its product, major crypto exchange Binance is working on charity projects, HTC has changed the concept of previously announced blockchain-smartphone Exodus – read the most intriguing news of this week in our weekly digest!

Augur betting platform is finally live

Augur – a decentralized betting platform for real-world predictions – was one of the first DApps built on the Ethereum blockchain. In 2015, Augur sold their tokens called Reputation (REP) for more than $5 million in total. The launch of beta version followed shortly and till recent time project was in Open Beta Testing phase.

Finally, after more than two years of testing, several audits and bug-bounty programs, platform and the latest version of the Augur app were released on July 9, 2018. As told by Forecast Foundation, developers of the Augur Dapp, it is probably the largest and most complex application on Ethereum.

With Augur, you can bet on anything real-world countable. The key advantage of the decentralized betting is that there is no single party, so fees are as low as possible. The second feature of decentralization is that it will be quite difficult to block or censor the app.

After less than a week after release, Augur coins (REP) are on the 37th place by market capitalization with the volume of $334,336,200 and $30,39 exchange rate.

Opera is to become the first web browser with integrated crypto wallet

One of the biggest web browsers for desktop and mobile devices is launching beta-version of its mobile app browser with integrated cryptocurrency wallet. The built-in wallet will support Ethereum Web3 API and automatically add tokens to the wallet.

It’s the third step of the browser’s developers forward to the cryptosphere. Earlier, December 2017, Opera added anti-cryptojacking technology in their integrated ad-block for the desktop browser. In a month, they’ve announced the same functions to the mobile browser app.

At the moment, Opera might be not the most popular web browser, however, they are doing many adjustments to remain up-to-date with evolving technology and become one of the first web 3.0 supporting browsers. “Our hope is that this will accelerate the transition of cryptocurrencies from speculation and investment to being used for actual payments and transactions in our users’ daily lives.”, – said Charles Hamel, Opera web browser product manager.

HTC will introduce a smartphone with built-in crypto wallet and CryptoKitties

In the early May 2018, during Consensus 2018 conference, Taiwanese electronics giant has announced their first blockchain-based smartphone with the working title HTC Exodus. Smartphone supposed to become a first mobile device which can operate within the blockchain network as a node. It was planned that Exodus will support both Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) blockchains.

However, as of the latest news, the company has changed their vision and Exodus will be launched not as a blockchain smartphone, but as a cryptocurrency-friendly device. Instead of supporting different blockchains, Exodus is going to be fitted with built-in cryptocurrency wallet and CryptoKitties – Ethereum-based Decentralized application (Dapp) game.

Phil Chen, HTC’s head of business and corporate development, also stated that the company is planning to integrate crypto mining into their following smartphone, however, there is no information about further companies developments.

Binance is to support flood victims in Japan

One of the major cryptocurrency exchanges continues showing that it’s important not only to show cryptocurrencies and blockchain in a favorable light but also to stay socially-responsible. Earlier this year Binance already announced several philanthropic projects, such as a partnership with Uganda and Malta aimed at creating new employment opportunities and support economy of the countries.

The new Binance’s major charity step is the donation of $1 million to those who suffered from floods and landslides that happened in western Japan. The region has been hit by a series of natural disasters, causing appalling losses and damages. The donation is going to be sent in Binance Coins or Bitcoin – depends on the receiver-organization’s decision. Money transfer could also be processed directly in JPY, however this way some extra fees and delays could appear.